Barbados Surf Dispatch 3 “Nicknames” by Scott Valor

First, the brief surf report: “wind swell” again today, which means head-high + sets at Soup Bowl. Paddled out late (11 a.m.) because too much rum the night before means too much sleeping in the morning. It gets light here by 5 a.m., so you can be out surfing at the same time your friends are pouring out of the bars headed home in
Hermosa Beach (it’s currently three hours ahead here).

I was late this morning, then, but no matter. Three guys out, light wind, and bowling waves. Even with the windswell, it gets hollow here and clean. Unlike home, where onshore/sideshore winds make it unsurfable, here once the wave hits the reef it’s a super smooth ride. You can go out any time of the day. Sometimes more wind, sometimes less. Don’ matter.

As in
Mexico, pretty much all the local surfers here have nicknames. If you’re lucky like Kevin Nicholls, you’ll get a cool one like “Buju” (as in Buju Banton). If you’re unlucky like Adrian Smalls, you may be stuck with “Grommet.” Nevermind that Adrian is a top surfer, one of the older, second/third-generation guys (in his mid-30s), has sponsors and rips, when he was a young up-and-comer the first generation guys named him and it stuck. Everyone calls them by their nicknames, even non-surfers. You might too if you get to know them better, but until then, it’s Kevin, Adrian, Omar, whatever.

Supposed to have the same swell and conditions tomorrow. Should be fun all day. Lather, rinse, repeat…